Over the years I've tasted some ESJ wines courtesy of others that I've really enjoyed. There has been quite a bit of chatter about ESJ on the net recently, so figured I'd check and see if there was any distributuion here in Indiana and I was disappointed to learn that there was none. A quick chat with the owners of the shop where I schlepp wines a few days a week and a few phone calls to Steve gets us a nice assortment of samples to taste through. For the most part these wines are well made, offer exceptional value and definitely avoid the spoofulated/industrialized stuff that seems to dominate the market these days. These wines stress finese over power.
Here are my notes/impressions of the wines and I'm enthusiastically looking foward to sharing many of these with our customers fairly soon.

2005 Shell & Bone WhiteA Viognier and Rousanne blend that packs some power. The Viognier is very evident on the floral nose . Good mouthcoating viscosity that delivers a bit of nuttiness towards the end which I assume is the Rousanne component. Lingering finish. A winner.

2005 Pinot GrigioNot much to hold my interst here. probably just palate preference on my part as the wine had no discerable flaws. Guess you can't win them all.

2002 "The Shadow"Apparently this is an amalgamation of Steve's various 2002 Syrahs. Medium bodied and plummy fruit in a nice way. Some tannins and complexity suggest this one might benefit from another year in the bottle although it is drinking very well right now. Should price out someplace under $12 which will make this an easy sell.

2005 Pinc Froid RoseVery interesting rose. Nice depth and complexity. The nose is all about spices..clove, pomegranate and a dash of cinnamon. Plenty of red fruit flavors to round out the profile. A delight to drink

2003 Shell & Bone Paso Robles (Red)A blend of the usual CdP varietals. Comes across as a bit ripe on the nose and entry. Ends with a bit of spice, but just came across a bit simple.

2001 Syrah, Wylie-Fenaughty, El Dorado CountyThis wine was more extracted than the previous wines, but never approaching being over-the-top. Black fruit profile with tannins and acids to balance everything out. Really blossomed with a couple of hours of air and I suspect given just a bit more time to breathe, it may have become my choice as wine of the day. Very good now, but probably even better with a bit of cellar time.

My only question to the wine buyer was: "How quickly can we get this stuff in the store?"

Disclosure: In case you haven't guessed by now, I sell wine to people and would love to have ESJ in our portfolio

Original post edited to correct vintage on the Shell & Bone Red

Last edited by Redwinger on Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Does Steve's website contain a list of stores that carry his juice? I have this theory about the west coast guys conspiring to keep all the ESJ wines for themselves. I have rarely seen it on the shelves in DC or Maryland. It's hard to find in this neck of the woods. I think all I've had his his Gamay, Bolly Jones or something like that.

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knowsThat too many people have died?The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the windThe answer is blowin' in the wind.

James Roscoe wrote:Does Steve's website contain a list of stores that carry his juice? I have this theory about the west coast guys conspiring to keep all the ESJ wines for themselves. I have rarely seen it on the shelves in DC or Maryland. It's hard to find in this neck of the woods. I think all I've had his his Gamay, Bolly Jones or something like that.

James,
I seem to recall that his site lists distributors by state. If my recollection is correct, that should give you a starting point for locating a local retailer.
BP

2001 Syrah, Wylie-Fenaughty, El Dorado County This wine was more extracted than the previous wines, but never approaching being over-the-top. Black fruit profile with tannins and acids to balance everything out. Really blossomed with a couple of hours of air and I suspect given just a bit more time to breathe, it may have become my choice as wine of the day. Very good now, but probably even better with a bit of cellar time.

I agree, and that probably is my favorite of the wines you mention, but mainly because I am a mono-cepage type of guy, but even I had to admit that the 01 Los Robles red was killer, although both need air.

So in addition to the "elegance" everyone talks about, the wines are probably also similar to "Old World" wines in that they are living beings and need air to show their many faces, when young. Not necessarily something to open pour and expect easy simple fruit.

They're hard to find in the D.C. area for sure, but I was able to pick up the 2004 Bone-Jolly from Cleveland Park wines on Connecticut Ave., and just last month bought the 2003 Rocks and Gravel from MacArthur. You might see if they have any more left.

Based on the performance of Steve's local distributor up my way, I am beginning to believe that they do not even try to sell the wines. They sure do make it hard to buy them.

I think it's something about distributors all over. They like to feel that they are doing you a favor by only trying to sell Gallo products. It simplifies your life. Don't you feel better?

David,
Are you implying that the distributors could care less about their producers or just the consumers? Maybe they could not care less about either unless they get a hefty kickback. Sheez, the system sucks!
James

Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knowsThat too many people have died?The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the windThe answer is blowin' in the wind.

Based on the performance of Steve's local distributor up my way, I am beginning to believe that they do not even try to sell the wines. They sure do make it hard to buy them.

I think it's something about distributors all over. They like to feel that they are doing you a favor by only trying to sell Gallo products. It simplifies your life. Don't you feel better?

It's my understanding that ESJ's Michigan distributor just dropped them. Frankly, I had to email Steve last summer to find out who carried them in Michigan, and then contact the distributor to bring the wines into my department. Said distributor wasn't exactly "promoting" them.